After Losing My Memory, I Was Targeted by the Obsessive Movie Queen [gl] - Chapter 42

Lu Youqing was seized by an inexplicable terror; it felt as though the floor of her heart had suddenly collapsed, and she found it impossible to stay calm. She rushed frantically toward the spot where Yan He had just been standing, only to find faint footprints on the vast, white expanse of snow.

Her entire body trembled. With stumbling steps, she followed the trail of footprints, her mind consumed by the thought that Yan He was leaving her again without a word.

Perhaps Yan He had never lost her memory at all and was simply feigning it because she was trapped under her control; or perhaps she had recovered her memory without her knowing and chose this specific moment to leave again, purely to retaliate—to make her sink back into this exact state of despair.

Lu Youqing’s thoughts spiraled. She visualized Yan He leaving her forever, a reality where she could never find her again. It felt as if a giant hand was squeezing her heart, making her breathing ragged, her eyes brimming with a dark, rich paranoia.

No, she can’t do this.

She was trying so hard to change. Why did she have to vanish? Lu Youqing’s eyes were bloodshot, a morbid, paranoid fire burning in her heart. She couldn’t control it; she couldn’t endure Yan He disappearing from her side.

Heavy snow drifted from the sky, slowly settling on the field. Lu Youqing focused solely on the footprints, stumbling and running blindly. In her haste, she lost her balance and fell hard. Her palms felt as though they were being seared by fire, but she didn’t care. She knelt there in the snow, the fire in her heart suddenly doused by the cold. Her strength drained away like water. She stood up helplessly, the bruises on her body beginning to throb with pain. She felt a sudden, piercing cold, as if she had returned to the moment she learned Yan He had driven away from the villa.

It must have been like this then, too. Yan He had acted so dependent on her, pretending she would die without her. She had fallen deep into that affection, allowing her heart to soften, only to receive the news of Yan He’s escape.

Back then, she was just as desolate as she was now. She had been deceived.

An overwhelming sadness and despair acted like an airtight net, trapping her within. Amidst the swirling snow, she raised her trembling hands. The lonely east wind whipped the snow against her cheeks. She looked at the dim sky and suddenly let out a laugh, her eyes as dark as the deep night.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the distance. Lu Youqing spun around, her deadened heart reigniting with a fierce, violent flame. Ignoring her injuries, she sprinted toward the sound.

The closer she got, the more she could hear the rustle of conversation from the corner. Lu Youqing became terrified that the person in the corner wouldn’t be who she hoped for. Her heart hung in her throat as she skidded to a stop. There, in the corner, she saw Yan He chatting merrily with two students. The tremors in her chest stopped instantly. Her fractured consciousness snapped back into place, and her frozen blood seemed to flow once more. She rushed forward and gripped Yan He’s wrist tightly, her voice raspy.

“Where did you go?”

Yan He had been chatting with the two students about small animals when her wrist was suddenly seized. She turned to meet Lu Youqing’s bloodshot eyes; her body stiffened, and her heart gave a habitual, sympathetic twitch.

“Why are you here?” she asked instinctively, her voice tentative.

Lu Youqing was in a terrible state. Her fall had stained her pure white down jacket with snow and mud from the field. She was shivering, her cheeks and lips as white as a sheet of paper, looking as if the wind and snow might blow her away at any moment. Yet her eyes were red, her hair disheveled, revealing skin as white as the snow. The hand gripping Yan He’s wrist was as cold as a block of ice.

“What’s wrong?” Yan He quickly took her hand, trying to transfer warmth with her palm. “Why are you so cold?” she asked, her brow furrowed with heartache.

Lu Youqing stared at her blankly, her dark eyes swirling with complex emotions. It was as if she couldn’t see her enough, as if she were about to shed tears of joy—as if they hadn’t been apart for two minutes, but for twenty years.

“Why did you come here? Didn’t I say you weren’t allowed to leave my sight without my permission?” Lu Youqing finally spoke. Her voice was stern but laced with a pout, not scary at all. Her eyes filled with mist, but her grip on Yan He’s wrist tightened, leaving red marks on her porcelain skin.

Yan He stood frozen, not realizing her absence would cause Lu Youqing such distress. She hurried to apologize: “I’m sorry. I heard the sound of a small animal over here, so I came to check it out.” As she spoke, she moved aside to show Lu Youqing a small black puppy being held by one of the high schoolers. The puppy was huddled sleepily in the girl’s arms, wagging its tail listlessly at the sound of voices.

Lu Youqing’s gaze followed hers to the puppy, her snow-dusted long hair falling with the movement. “A puppy?” she asked slowly, her voice still carrying a hint of a sob and a touch of daze. Hearing her, the puppy whimpered and wagged its tail again.

The two high school girls, seeing the way they held hands and hearing their conversation, naturally realized their relationship was anything but simple. The snow was too heavy for them to see the women’s faces clearly, but they could tell they were both very beautiful. The girls smiled at each other, said goodbye to Yan He, and left with the sleeping puppy.

The world fell silent again, as if only the two of them remained. Yan He looked at Lu Youqing; her wrist still bore the marks of Lu Youqing’s fingers. But when her gaze landed on Lu Youqing’s own fair hand, she stopped abruptly.

“Your hand is hurt.” She took Lu Youqing’s hand to examine it closely. There was a large scrape on the back of her hand, with faint beads of blood seeping from the raw skin.

Yan He’s brow furrowed deeply. She hadn’t expected her brief absence to make Lu Youqing so frantic. For a moment, she was overwhelmed with guilt.

She reached out and cupped Lu Youqing’s face, making her look at her while brushing the snow from her hair. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d be back quickly, so I didn’t tell you beforehand.” Her eyes drooped with regret as she interlaced her fingers with Lu Youqing’s. Her amber pupils reflected Lu Youqing’s image in the snow as she apologized with all her heart.

Lu Youqing looked up at her, her eyes misty. She couldn’t help but tilt her head to gently nuzzle Yan He’s palm. When she spoke, her voice was still trembling.

“A-He, don’t ever do that again.” She lowered her gaze, snow catching on her raven-wing lashes like a forest fairy taking human form. She looked so fragile that it seemed a single gust of wind might disperse her newly formed body.

“I was so afraid you’d leave without a word again.” She reached out and gripped Yan He’s sleeve tightly, taking a step forward. Her clear, cool voice carried a vulnerable dampness as she leaned into her embrace with deep attachment.

Yan He felt her heart melt. She leaned down, her crisp fragrance enveloping them, and placed a kiss on Lu Youqing’s lips. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you sad.”

The snow grew heavier, merging the sky and earth into one. Looking at the storm, they decided to head back and treat Lu Youqing’s injury.

“Let’s go.” Yan He squeezed Lu Youqing’s hand, smiling at her.

Lu Youqing stared at her for a moment, then broke into a harmless, gentle smile. “Okay.”

Snow isn’t as bone-chilling as rain when it hits the skin. The two walked slowly toward the school gate through the white landscape.

“Why was there such a small puppy in the school?” Lu Youqing asked.

“Those two students are raising it. They keep it in a corner behind the field. They were worried it would freeze because of the snow, so they came to check on it,” Yan He explained patiently. Then she suddenly remembered asking Lu Youqing if they had a dog at home.

“Did we ever keep pets at home?”

Lu Youqing knit her brows slightly as she looked at her. “No. I was too busy with work, and since you were my assistant, you were always with me. We were rarely home.”

Yan He looked thoughtful. “Then why…” She suddenly realized she was about to mention opening the drawer and quickly shut her mouth.

Lu Youqing looked at her curiously. “Why what?”

Yan He: “Nothing. Just rambling.”

Her acting was too poor; Lu Youqing could tell at a glance she was hiding something. “A-He, are you keeping something from me? I told you—don’t lie to me.”

Yan He was almost sweating despite the cold. “Really, it’s nothing. I was just curious if we had pets.”

Seeing her evasiveness, Lu Youqing suddenly realized something. She curved her lips and said, “I see,” without teasing her further. They walked on in silence, holding hands tightly as they listened to the falling snow.

“By the way, I want to find a job… in photography,” Yan He said suddenly, looking at the snow-covered campus.

Lu Youqing, who had been lost in thought, looked up sharply. “A job?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it, and I want to pick it back up. So I’ve sent my resume to a few photography studios over the last couple of days.” Yan He smiled, her eyes full of hope for the future.

There was another reason she didn’t mention. Seeing the rumors about them on the trending topics, she saw that no one believed she was Lu Youqing’s girlfriend, let alone her fiancée. Yan He realized how vast the gap between them was. She wanted to be worthy of Lu Youqing; she wanted everyone to bless them when they finally got married.

Unlike her excitement, Lu Youqing’s face darkened the moment she finished. She looked at the soft white snow ahead and said, amid the crunching of their steps: “Do you really have to work?”

“What?” Yan He hadn’t heard clearly and leaned in to ask, her eyes sparkling with affection.

Lu Youqing met her gaze and smiled warmly, her eyes full of deep feeling. “I said, I’m sure A-He will find a great job.”

Yan He gave an even wider smile.

They took a car to a nearby hospital to treat the scrape. By the time they finished, the snow was so heavy that the roads were congested. It was already evening, and it would be past midnight before they could get back. They decided to stay at a nearby resort hotel.

Since they were flying out with the crew in three days, their luggage was already in the car, making staying at the hotel quite convenient.

After a day of exhaustion and cold, Yan He was very tired. She planned to sleep early after dinner but discovered the hotel suite had its own private hot spring bath.

In this weather, with heavy snow outside, a comfortable soak was impossible to refuse. She changed and went in first. Lu Youqing said she needed to call the director to discuss some work details and would join her later.

The steam-filled bathroom featured a wide hot spring pool in the center. The surface reflected the lights through the rising mist. Yan He stepped in slowly, the warm water supporting her body and washing away her mental fatigue. She sat in the pool and closed her eyes to relax. Her bathrobe by the side got damp, so she asked Lu Youqing to help her bring out the pajamas from her suitcase.

Yan He intended to wait for Lu Youqing to join her, but after waiting a long time, Lu Youqing still hadn’t come in. Instead, the comfort of the water made her drift off into a daze.

Suddenly, she heard the door open, followed by a slight chill on her exposed skin. Yan He realized Lu Youqing had entered. She wanted to wake up and look at her, but her consciousness remained muddled. She sat by the edge of the pool, unmoving.

The water beside her rippled, and a faint fragrance filled her nose. Yan He slowly opened her eyes. Before she could see the person beside her, a cold, metallic ring was suddenly snapped around her wrist, followed by the mechanical click of a lock.

Her consciousness snapped awake. She looked down and saw a silver object. Along with it appeared the black leather collar Lu Youqing held, which had a buckle at the end.

Wha… what?

The person beside her moved. The calm surface of the water rippled again. Lu Youqing straddled Yan He, the water only reaching her collarbones. The shifting surface blurred everything beneath.

“My good A-He,” Lu Youqing said as she placed the collar around Yan He’s neck. She leaned down, her seductive voice like a breath of orchids.

“I was wondering why A-He asked if we had pets today. It turns out you brought these things with you.”

“Such a good girl, A-He.”